Multi-ply fabric article



30, 1936. F. R. REDMAN 2,045,963

MULTI-PLY FABRIC ARTICLE Original Filed Feb. 25, 1935 fizz/62%)", i

. Patented June 30, 1936 Frank B. Bedman, Yardley, Pa.

Original application February 23, 1935, Serial No. 7,889. Divided andthis application July 16,

1935, Serial No. 31,121 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved process of treating fabricmaterials, particularly lining material as used in the manufacture ofarticles of apparel, and to a new and improved article of apparelobtainable thereby. The present application is a divisionof myapplication,

Serial No. 7,889, filed February 23, 1935, which,

on July 23, 1935, matured into Patent 2,009,139.

An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an improved methodof manufacturing lining material particularly adaptable for use inarticles of apparel which are subject to repeated laundering.

Another object of the invention is to provide, an improved method ofmanufacturing articles, of apparel, such as collars, cuffs, bosoms andthe like and to thus produce a novel product having several features ofadvantage hereinafter set forth.

20 As this invention is directed particularly to the treatment of liningcloth for articles of apparel and to the manufacture of the finishedarticles, it will be described with particular reference to this specialapplication, although it is to be understood that it likewise pertainsto other articles which are subject to repeated laundering. Moreover, asthe problems presented in the manufacture of collars presents all of themajor problems of manufacture of article of apparel, particularlyreferred to in.this invention, I shall use collars as anexample todisclose the invention and the advantages thereof.

It is general practice in the manufacture of collars to assemblemultiple plies of fabric which have previously been out in desired shapeand size. A collar so assembled can be divided into its two major parts,namely, the neck-band and the fold-over top. In general practice, bothof these major parts are constructed from three plies of fabric; a faceply, an interlining, and a back ply, the neck-band and foldover topbeing made up separately and subsequently stitched together. While thereare other processes of manufacturing collars, this method is the onemost universally practiced, and the present invention is intended toconform particularly with equipment used to manufacture collars of suchgeneral construction, although, as will be noted later, theinventionoontemplates the possibility of eliminating one of thecomponent plies, if desired.

As stated in my above-mentioned patent, it is desirable to embodycertain features in a multiply fabric such as above mentioned. Some of55 these features may be enumerated as follows:

1. Elimination of any'noticeable tendency to shrink or stretch duringnormal use throughout the life of the article.

2. A lining cloth so treated that it will readily become cemented to acover cloth or cloths by the as pointed out in my aforesaid patent, itis found previous treatment of the fabric. The present application ofheat and pressure as generally used in the manufacture of collarswithout theuse of a solvent.

3. Permanent firmness, or stiffness if desired, which obviates thenecessity of using starch or 5 the like during repeated laundering.

4. A laminated article which during the initial laundering becomesreadily permeated by water to permit satisfactory laundering undernormal washing conditions.

5. A laminated article the plies of which will not become separated atthe temperature of boiling water.

6. A laminated article which will not wilt from dampness orperspiration. I

In my aforesaid patent, there is disclosed and claimed a method oftreating multi-ply fabric comprising two principal steps, viz., theapplication to the fabric of a material such as starch or preferably awaterinsoluble material to prevent shrinking and stretching of thefabric, and the subsequent application of a resinous coating. While itis usually preferable to employ the method including both of these stepsor operations,

that the use of the second operation, involving the employment of aresinous coating is distinctly advantageous in and of itself and,therefore, this operation may be employed alone and without invention isdirected specifically to the use of the resinous coating.

The drawing illustrates in perspective a multiply fabric of theinvention, where l is the upper fabric, 2 the lower fabric, and 3 thecoating of thermoplastic resinous material of the properties described.

In the specific application of the invention to the lining ply of amulti-ply fabric, the thermoplastic resinous material is applied to oneor both sides of the lining material whichever may be desired. Theresinous material applicable for use is one which does not softensufliciently at the boiling point of water to lose its adherentqualities but which softens at the temperature of the iron, for example,at temperatures between 250 F. and 300 F. so thatduring each pressingoperation after laundering the material re-assumes a stiffnesscomparable to that originally provided. These properties are possessedby various resinous. compositions; for example, certain resins of thefollowing group have these properties and may be employed: polyvinylresins, poly- .only phenyl is substituted for chloride or acepurpose.These resins may be described as :01-

lows: V

Vinylite A (polymer of vinyl-acetate) has 7 a melting rangeapproximating 150 F. It is not discolored by the application of heat,but by itself it is detrimentally affected by acid or alkali as isfrequently used in laundering to the extent of destroying its adhesivequalification.

Vinylite H (copolymer of vinylchloride and vinyl acetate) has a meltingrange substantially above 250 F. and is not affected by the acids oralkali as used in laundering, but is discolored by the action of heat ata temperature used in the manufacture or pressing in laundering.

Vinyl-benzine (or polymerized phenylethylene which belongs to the samefamily as Vinylite tate) has a melting range above 300 F. It is notdetrimentally affected by the acid or alkali used in laundering and isnot discolored by the application of heat.

As it is desired to effect a permanent bond between the lining cloth andthe cover cloth or cloths at a temperature approximately 250". F., orabove, which will not separate at the temperature of boilingwater, 212F., it is preferred to blend certain of these resinous materials; first,,to obtain the melting range desired; second, to elimisired. It will beseen that decreasing the percentage of Vinylite H and increasing thepercentage of Vinyiite A will serve to reduce the melting range.However, increasing the percentage of Vinylite H to 75% approximately,or over, will cause discoloration from heat, although the bond is notaffected. As a further example,

a blend approximately as follows:

uv yn A Vinyl-benzine 1% calcium stearate (to serve as'a stabilizer ifdesired, but not necessary) willlikewise obtain the result desired. Inthis case, the proportion of "Vinyl-benzine can be increasedto 65% andthe proportion of *Vinylite A" can be reduced to 35% and still asatisfactory bond is obtained. If, however, the Vinylbenzine isincreased substantially above 65%, a satisfactory bond is not obtained.If the percentage of "Vinylite A" were increased substantially above50%, the melting range would he reduced below that of boiling water,which would permit the separation of the plies of the fabric during thelaundering operation.

In order to put the above resinous compounds into paste form which ispractical for handling, the resins are dissolved and thoroughly mixed inapproximately an equivalent weight of acetone. If itis desired to reducethe volatility of the solvent, it may be useful to replace part of theacetone with toluol. The fabric is coated at least on one side with theresinous material in such manner as to obtain a continuous film, the useof a standard type backing machine giving satisfactory results. v

It will be obvious that the resinous coating applied as above describedwill serve to stiifen or 5 make more firm the lining fabric so treated.It is, therefore, practicable to control the degree of stiffness orfirmness imparted to the fabric by increasing or decreasing thetreatment first described, It is found, however, that in order to obtaina most satisfactory result in the finished article, it is necessary tokeep the amount of resinous material subsequently applied within veryclose ranges, which will be discussed hereinafter.

It will nowbe seen that if the treated lining fabric is placed betweencover cloths or adjacent a cover cloth, dampened if desired, and exposedg to heat and pressure, the solvent, or solvents, is

removed and the rigidity of the finished article is increased. Thetemperature used in the manufacture of collars and in the pressing afterlaundering in general practice is in the neighborhood of 300 F. Thetemperature that can be used is naturally limited to that temperature atwhich I the fabric pressed would tend to scorch. In view of the factthat any temperature that could be safely used on cotton fabrics is notsufiiciently high to destroy the thermoplasticity of the resins used,the resinous coating remains in this condition which is most desirablewhen the lining is to be used in a soft or semi-soft collar.Furthermore, it will be obvious that if through some unusual action thelining cloth should become separated in spots from the cover cloth, theresinous material still being in a thermoplastic condition can and willbe activated to again create a bond between it and the cover cloth whenagain exposed to heat and pressure. If a collar is desired which is morestiff than that obtained by the mere pressing step set forth above, theassembled lining cloth and cover cloth or cloths may be moistened with asolvent for the resin, for

example, acetone, and thereafter pressed as de scribed.

Treated as herein proposed, the lining is coated with a continuous film,but the amount of resinous material controlled within narrow limits toprevent the resinous material, when in its plastic state as a result ofapplying heat and pressure, from flowing through the cover cloth orcloths to the degree of penetrating the cover cloth or cloths to thesurface thereof, although there is a partial transference of the resinfrom the interliner to the inner surface of the cover cloth or cloths.The amount of resinous material which can be applied safely to thelining fabric depends somewhat on the weight of the lining fabric used,but for the specific purpose in view, it is found that approximately 1ounces per 60 square yard of lining fabric will give the results desiredwithout flowing through to the surface of the cover cloth or cloths. Thearticle so produced in its initial state is not permeated by water dueto the continuous nature of the res- 65 inous film. However, during thefirst laundering of the article, the mechanical action of the laundaringwhich is generally carried out at a tempcrature approximately F. to 180R, which is below the melting range of the resinous material used,causes the resinous coating to crack between-the mesh of the fabricwhich permits the water thereafter to permeate readily. It is well tobear in mind at this point that a proper balance of resinous materialsmust be obtained 75 in order to assure that the resinous coating willnot, at the temperature usually used in laundering, normally F. to F.,become soft and too pliable to permit of its becoming cracked from themechanical action of laundering.

As will have been seen, the resinous materials temperatures, retainingadhesion at and below used have been chosen and used in such proportionas to give a melting or softening range which is substantially abovethat of boiling water (212 F.). Consequently, the bond between thelining ply and the cover cloth or cloths of the article is maintainedduring laundering. Since the treatment has not been applied to the covercloth or cloths, normally having 1% to 6% residual shrink, there remainsin the cover cloth a natural tendencyto shrink. However, in view of thelamination between the plies being kept intact and the lining ply beingthe more rigid of the plies as a result of the above describedtreatment, the lining ply resists the shrink of the cover ply or pliesand imparts to the article itself the quality of non-shrinking.Moreover, a certain portion of the resinous coating of the lining ply istransferred to the covercloth or cloths during the application of heatand pressure, and this also tends to resist the tendency of the covercloth or cloths to shrink. In view of the fact that the resinousmaterials used have a softening range well above 100 F., no softeningaction takes place at the temperature of perspiration, and further theresins used are particularly balanced to resist the action of acid oralkali. Accordingly, the firmness of the article is retained duringnormal usage and no tendency to wilt is apparent. Hereinabove, the useof a cover cloth or cloths has been mentioned, and it has been statedthat the general practice involves the use of an inner ply between'twocover cloths. A satisfactory article can be obtained, however, usingonly a front surface cover cloth with the inner ply. In this case, it isdesirable to employ a fine weave inner ply with a resinous coatingapplied only on the surface of the inner ply to be placed in contactwith the cover cloth.

A multi-ply fabric which is to be subjected to repeated laundering whentreated as above described exhibits to a. substantial degree thedesirable'features hereinbefore enumerated. It will be'understood, ofcourse, that the invention is not limited to the details herein setforth for the purpose of disclosure, but is capable of considerablemodification.

I claim:

1. A multi-ply fabric for use in articles subjected to repeatedlaundering, of which at least one of its plies has associated therewith,causing adherence of said plies, a thermoplastic material comprising ablend of at least two of the resins of the group consisting of a polymerof vinyl ester of the lower aliphatic acids, a copolymer of a vinylchloride and a. vinyl ester of the lower aliphatic acids and vinylbenzene, each of which resins of itself lacks at least one of theproperties of softening at pressing temperatures, retaining adhesion atand below the boiling point of water and remaining substantiallyunaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering, but whichresins, when at least two are blended in proper proportions, acquirevall of the above-mentioned properitles.

2. A multi-ply fabric for use in'articles subjected to repeatedlaundering, of which at least one of its plies has associated-therewith,causing adherence of said plies, a thermoplastic material comprising ablend of a polymer of vinyl acetate, and a copolymer of vinyl chlorideand vinyl acetate, each of which resins of itself lacks at least oneofthe properties of softening at pressing the boiling point of water andremaining substantially unafiected in color when subjected to repeatedlaundering, but which resins when blended in proper proportions, acquireall of the above-mentioned properties. 3. A multi-ply fabric for use inarticles subjected to repeated laundering, of which at least one of itsplies has associated therewith, causing adherence of said plies, athermoplastic aterial comprising a, blend of approximately thirtypercent of a polymer of vinyl acetate, and approximately seventy percentof'a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, each of which resinsand vinyl benzene, each of which resins of itself lacks at least one ofthe properties of softening atpressing temperatures, retaining adhesionat and below the boiling point of water and remaining substantiallyunaffected in color when subjected 'to repeated laundering, but whichresins, when blended in proper proportions, acquire all of theabove-mentioned properties. 5. A multi-ply fabric for use in articlessubjected to repeated laundering, of which at least one of its plies hasassociated therewith, causing adherence of said plies, a thermoplasticmaterial comprising a blend of approximately fifty percent of a polymerof vinyl acetate and approximately fifty percent of vinyl benzene, eachof which resins of itself lacks at least one of the properties-ofsoftening at pressing temperatures, retaining adhesion at and belowthe'boiling point of water and remaining substantially unaffected incolor when subjected to repeated laundering, but which resins, whenblended inapproximately the above-specified proportions, acquire all ofthe above-mentioned properties. l

6. A 'multi-ply fabric for use in articles subjected to repeatedlaundering of which at least one of-its plies has associated therewith,causing adherence of said plies, a thermoplastic material comprising ablend of from approximately thirtyfive percent to fifty percent of apolymer of vinyl acetate and from approximately fifty percent tosixty-five percent of vinyl benzene, each of which resins of itselflacks at least one of the properties of softening at pressingtemperatures, retain;

ing adhesion at and below the boiling point of water and remainingsubstantially unaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering,but which resins, when blended in approximately the above-specifiedproportions, acquire all of the above-mentioned properties.

' FRANK R. REDMAN.

